cover of episode Elon Musk and Trump Fast-Track Mars Mission

Elon Musk and Trump Fast-Track Mars Mission

2024/11/12
logo of podcast Elon Musk Podcast

Elon Musk Podcast

Chapters

The partnership between Trump and Musk shifts U.S. space policy from lunar missions to Mars exploration, leveraging SpaceX's Starship.
  • Mars becomes a top priority in U.S. space policy.
  • Trump sees the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
  • SpaceX's Starship is central to this new focus.

Shownotes Transcript

Translations:
中文

Now that danny trump has secured another term and elan musk is joining forces with his administration, mars has instantly become a top priority in united states space policy. It's a huge shift from masses. Previous focus on of the artistic program, which was all about getting humans back to the moon first, with mask now playing a key role in this, the conversation has quickly moved towards aiming directly from mars.

Trumps enthusiasm for pushing behind the mood isn't new, though. Even during his first term, he called lunar missions a stepping stone and often described them as boring. Now, since we've already done that before, he was to move on. Now looks like the plan is eleven space's starship. They get as to mars faster than anyone has anticipated.

But back on you and thirty, twenty, seventeen trump side in the executive order to reestablish the national space council shared by the vice president, mike pence, this was a big deal because IT brought focus back to space exploration at the national policy level. And trumps first budget request, can many of the obama error programs attack them, including the commercial resupply services and the development of the origins spacecraft for deep space missions. However, he cut back on earth science research and proposed the eliminating masses education office, signaling in a shift towards prioritizing exploration beyond our serbian.

Later in december twenty seventeen, from science space policy directive, one would set the stage for U. S. LED return to the moon as part of the broader plan that includes mars.

Now this directive LED to the creation of the artistic program, which was built on legacy projects like the orion capsule in the lunar gateway. But now with elan musan board, there's a strong push to use this momentum for mars missions as the main focus. A P sex launched their massive starship broken on october thirteenth of this year, this four hundred feet tall, the biggest, most powerful rocket ever.

But the whaler isn't just a lot what they pulled off right after they actually caught the entire booster with a launched tower, like landing a skyscraper back on its foundation. You have to wonder if they can do this. This might be the breakthrough. The finally puts mars with an r ridge in starship is musk favor project he believes is the key to colonizing mars.

And the current idea to use starship for luar missions, first to prove the technology, then aim straight for hours after that, now that trump is back in the White house and musk has a seat of the table, is likely will sea starship being pushed in the mars missions even faster? Trust administration is likely to take a more aggressive approach now, aiming to leap ahead and possibly beat countries like china in the race to mars. Is that surprise that must backed trump s campaign in lands, had major frustrations with government interference regulations slowing down space sex is progress, especially from agencies like the federal aviation administration.

And now the musk is a ally, part of trust team. He could push hard for deregulation, potentially making IT easier and faster for space to launch starship missions, particularly the big, ambitious ones aimed at mars. Now, muskets reportedly suggested putting some of his own top spaces employees in key government positions, including at the defense department.

This could be a game change of a space sex, as having insiders at the federal level would help streamline decisions, secure contracts. The idea of having musk people in key positions goes beyond just reducing red tape, though that could lead to a fundamental shift in nasse plans. Right now, the artistic program realized heavily on the space launch system, the S, L, S, A massive roget built by boeing, that is, face endless delays and cost over uns.

But with musk influence and starships proven capabilities, proms administration might shift, focus away from the U. S. And rely more on starship in space sex solutions. Now let's dive to what make starship a little bit more special than everything else, is two stages.

As a two stage vehicle, super heavy booster, which provides initial thrust in the spacecraft known as the starship, which is designed to kerry crew in cargo, is fully reusable, unlike most rockets, which are single used and musk goal is to make space travellers common and cost effective as air travel, because they need to get launch costs down to just a few million dollars per flight. Thanks the stage. He was reusable design this kind of affordability could make regular mars missions possible.

Shifting nasas focus from the moon tomorrow isn't a small chAllenge, though, would require a major relocation of resources and funding, especially given the significant investments already made naryshkins during his first presidency, trump push next to get results quickly. Now, with us helping to lead the church we might even see, and even faster pushed towards md missions to mars. Must has been very vocal about his mars time eline, predicting the spaces could land at uncrushed AR ship on mars by twenty twenty six, follow by a crude mission in twenty twenty eight.

This is incredibly ambitious, and many experts doubt whether is achievable. Mars is roughly hundred forty million miles away, and a round trip mission would take two to three years, sound like the moon where astronaut s can return with in H A few weeks. You know, the chAllenges of sending humans to the surface of mars are enormous.

For starters, mars are a very thin atmosphere, which makes landing spacecraft extremely difficult. There is also the issue of radiation. Without a strong magnetic field like us, astronauts would be exposed to dangerous levels of cosmic radiation during the journey.

And as as engineers have emphasized the need for a new life support systems and habitats to ensure the safety of the crew, financially shifting to a mars for a strategy would be a big deal. The artist program has already cost us around ninety three billion dollars, three, twenty five. And if danna trump the size to prior twice mars, instead, much of that funding could be redirected to support space sexes starship missions.

This might extreme line masses budget, but could also leave other scientific projects without the resources that they need. And with drop back in office, the competition with china in space has become more intense. Trump has repeatedly talked about the importance of beating china to mars.

Framing IT as a matter of national pride is even said during campaign rally, is that he trusts musk to get there before anyone else. This kind of redick could lead to a new space race with U. S.

heading. Hard to be the first to put boots on mars. Now also, lets talk about what's possible with starting because this vehicle is a big part of the new plan.

SpaceX recently completed a successful test of starships reentry capabilities where the spacecraft landed safely after a high altitude test mosque. Seize this as proof the starship can handle both lunar and martian missions, even though we're still a long way from mars full scale missions. Now starships payout capacity is huge and that's one of its main advantages that can Carry up to one hundred and fifty metric tons in the worth.

Orban, in a fully reusable configuration and for capacity um that S S S can Carry about ninety five metro tents, mean starship can Carry not only astronauts but also a massive amount of cargo, which is crucial for a long term missions to mars. The kind of things you would want to fit side starship for mars mission include habitat module, scientific equipment like support systems. These would be essential for setting up a base on mars.

Space explains to send several uncrushed AR ships first loaded with supplying care to create a foundation before the astronauts arrive. The ability to Carry such large payloads in a single rocket lodge makes starship ideal for building the initial infrastructure needed on mars. In an important cargo for mars, machines would be power systems, the solar panels and battery ies.

Mars doesn't have a power git, obviously, so you need to bring your own. Starship could Carry enough solar panels to generate the electricity needed for the habitat. And scientific women is to be critical for sustaining life on mars and supporting any research activities.

Now starship can also Carry specialized. Starship can also Carry specialized rovers and exploration vehicles. These rovers would help transport astronauts and equipment across the martian surface. SpaceX could fit several these rovers in the single watch, allowing the crude to have transportation ready as soon as they land.

This would be vital for expLoring the terrain and finding resources like water ice, which can be used for drinking water and even to make rocket fuel. And starship's cargo capacity allows for the transport of food, water and other essential supplies to sustain the crew. Given the length of a mars mission, likely two to three years round trip, astronauts s will need significant amount of provisions.

Search large payloads. Space means I can bring enough supplies to keep the crew safe and healthy for the entire duration of the mission, reducing the need for supply missions and making IT more feasible to stay on mars longer. If you're a fan of space sex, let me know down in the comments below by adding a rocket m mogi if you have no comment, but if you want to talk about mars in what eland mask and Donald drumm can do for the future of humanity, also let me do IT down to the comments.

I wanted know what you think about all this stuff because it's going to be a shift from where we are now, which is space sex doing missions for asa. Basically when asos s goes offline, space ex will be doing all the missions tomorrow for asa. They won't to worry about us less. So please leave a comment down below, leave a like, and also hit the subscribed button with maximum dynamic pressure. Please take care yourselves and each other i'll see in the next one.